Crewscope — Entrepreneurship & Startups Award Winner 2024

Crewscope Edmonton Capital Line Pilot with EllisDon & PME - Crewscope

PME Inc., a subsidiary of EllisDon, was awarded the contract to relocate underground water pipes for the Capital Line South LRT in Edmonton. This relocation is crucial to making way for the rail tracks.

In March 2023, Crewscope was selected to pilot its workforce management program with PME’s crew. Crewscope’s innovative solution streamlined operations, improved productivity, and enhanced project safety. The successful pilot drove efficiency by achieving an 8% improvement in labour productivity, provided significant forecast accuracy, and improved worker satisfaction and retention. It effectively set a new industry standard for large-scale infrastructure projects.

EllisDon is a leading global construction services company, employee-owned, operating a large portfolio of major works in the civil, commercial, industrial, and residential markets. It is renowned for building the world’s first retractable rooftop stadium, SkyDome (Rogers Centre), and Dubai Waterfront, the most extensive waterfront development in the world.

Labor productivity in construction has been declining for years, worsened by a growing labor shortage. With more projects than available workers, there are increasing challenges in maintaining efficiency and motivation. Crewscope is a productivity software platform designed for deskless field workers. It enhances engagement, streamlines operations, and boosts productivity, solving the industry's labor and efficiency challenges.

The Edmonton Capital Line Pilot aimed to improve labor productivity and workforce engagement.

• Hiring, retaining, and keeping workers productive was challenging in connecting them to the job and rewarding them for meeting goals.
• It involved a collaboration between EllisDon, PME, and Crewscope.
• The focus was on creating an engaged workforce and optimizing processes.

High-Level Solutions

Unlike traditional workforce management tools, Crewscope focuses on real-time operations and engagement, setting it apart by improving productivity and retention. Crewscope is a workforce management platform that enhances construction project efficiency by addressing key challenges:

• Labor Productivity
• Retention
• Accountability
• Leadership Development
• Operational Discipline

Crewscope has proven to increase labor efficiency by 10-15%, improve forecasts, and boost worker satisfaction and retention in large-scale projects.

Solution Details

The solution was a site planning and communication software platform that would enable site leaders to:

• Set milestones
• Communicate progress toward the set milestones daily
• Reward and recognize the crew when the milestones are hit

This approach effectively established a team-based performance incentive program, goal setting, and ongoing communication to support it.

Site Leadership shared their positive feedback:

It works well. There is strong buy-in from the field. They like seeing the target. It improves focus. The crew is thinking about production now, whereas before, the attitude was, ‘Whatever happens is fine.

Business Benefits

Crewscope has proven to be a game-changer in driving construction project efficiency. It has tangible results that directly impact the bottom line, in its pilot program with PME Inc. on the Capital Line South LRT Sewer relocation project.

• Crewscope improved labor productivity by ~8% and saved 846 hours @ $100
• fully burdened labor rate, this represents $84,600 in cost savings.
• Issued $8,530 of rewards to the crew redeemed in Crewscope for gift cards.
• Leadership reported improved retention and morale.
• Total Program ROI: 10x
• The result? A remarkable 100% forecast accuracy, enhanced worker morale, and a stronger, more accountable workforce.

Summary

Beyond improved productivity, Crewscope transformed how workers engaged with their tasks. Workers began actively thinking about production goals rather than merely clocking in and out. Crew initiative skyrocketed, with workers such as the Bobcat operator taking the extra step to seek out new tasks instead of waiting idly. This shift in mindset and behavior has led to significant improvements in operational efficiency.

The success of the pilot program led to its expansion to other high-profile EllisDon projects, including the Alberta Legislature Plaza and First Nations Housing Projects, demonstrating:

• Scalability & Effectiveness: Crewscope excels across diverse construction environments, proving its broad applicability.
• ROI: Delivered a 10x ROI, demonstrating significant productivity and cost savings.
• Usability & Speed: Easy to adopt with minimal disruption, Crewscope provides immediate results.
• Adaptability & Viability: Crewscope adapts to various project types, reducing downtime and empowering workers—making it a sustainable solution for the industry's labor challenges.